Ministers ignore Post Office protests

Local politicians in Edinburgh have criticised the decision to shut eleven local post office branches, including the popular Warrender Park Road branch at the centre of a campaign against the closures.

The announcement came at the end of a six week consultation period over closures, proposed early this year. Despite the fact that upwards of three thousand local residents signed a petition calling for the Marchmont branch to be saved, it will be amongst those post offices lost.

The first closures are set to begin as early as November this year.

Jenny Dawe, leader of Edinburgh City Council has hit out at the decision, saying: “I am hugely disappointed that the enormous volume of local support for the Warrender Park Road post office has been ignored in this cynical attack on local services for local communities.

“Excellent arguments for retention were put forward in heart-felt pleas at a public meeting and the council submitted strong views against the closure.”

Michael Moore, deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, also attacked the verdict, saying that it failed to sufficiently take local opinions into account.

Mr Moore said: “People have got small change out of this review. They will be right to be very bitter and angry about this outcome.

“The strong response this consultation received will only increase the sense of betrayal, since nothing meaningful has changed.”

Two of the post offices earmarked for closure in the original proposal, Elm Row and Calder Crossway, will remain open, but the Royal Mail has now started a consultation on plans to close its branch at Oxgangs Broadway in order to cut costs.

A total of 24 branches will be closed throughout Scotland.

The decision has been defended by Royal Mail, which has highlighted that 99.6 per cent of those in affected areas will still live within one mile of their local branch, in line with government standards.

In response to Mr Moore’s argument over the consultation process, it was also highlighted that procedure had been approved by Postwatch, the body which represents post office customers.

Sally Buchanan, Post Office Ltd’s network development manager for Scotland, said: "These are difficult decisions which have not been taken lightly. We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation.

"We believe that the amended plan announced today offers our customers across Edinburgh, the Lothians and the south of Scotland the best prospect for a sustainable network in the future, bearing in mind the UK Government’s minimum access criteria and the other factors it has asked us to consider."